Lacing fastener for shoes



April 8, 1924. 1,489,470

E. s. THOMAS LACING FASTENER FOR SHOES Filed Sept. 8. '1923 IIVVENTOR ibxmufmsa A TTOR/VEYS Patented Apr. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES EDWIN SETH moms, or BRIGHTON, IOWA.

' LACING FASTENER'FOR SHOES.

Application filed September 8, 1923. Serial No. 661,681.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN SETH THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brighton, in the county of Washington and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lacing F asteners for Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for lacing articles, such as shoes, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device which may be used either as an eyelet for threading the lace through the shoe portion, or as a hook.

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple device of the type described which will retain the shoe lace in position, while at the same time it affords a means for. easily detaching the lace.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features o f the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

y invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe equipped with my improved lacing fasteners, V

Figure 2 is a sectional view through a portion of a shoe showing the fastener in position, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of the fastener.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a body portion 1 which is in the nature of a cylinder having an outwardly extending flange portion 2. On one side of this flange ortion and integral therewith is secured a oop portion 3 which is bent back upon the end of the cylinder and which is dished, as

shown in Figures 2 and 3. This provides a slot 4 which communicates with the opening 5 of the cylindrical body portion, the portions 6 on either side of the slot being spaced from the integral flange 2, as will be seen from the drawings.

In applying the fastening device to the shoe, an opening is made in the shoe, as for instance on the edge of the upper, and the cylindrical body portion 1 is thrust therein and then is preferably upset or bent to form a retaining flange portion 7. This may be done by machine or by hand, thus firmly securing the fastening device in position. The fastening devices are so set that the bent-over portion 3 constitutes a spring hook which is in contact with the flange 2, as shown in Figure 2.

A row 8 of fastening devices is provided on each side of the shoe 10, as shown in Figure 1. It is customary with lace shoes for eyelets to be provided for a certain distance and the upper fastening means consist of hooks. The reason for this is that the fastening may be more quickly accomplished by the hooks so that thefastening'or unfastening may be more quickly accom others prefer a number of hooks with the,

lower portion of the flap provided with eyes.

The present invention is designed to provide either a hook or an eye for every fastening device. It is obvious that the lacing 9 may pass straight through the opening 5, as shown in Figure 2, and then be bent out through the slot 4, or it may be engaged by the member 3 as a hook, as shown in Figure '3. 'Thus the one device serves both purposes so that shoes equipped with these fastening devices never have to be provided with hooks for those who do not like the eyes at the top of the shoe. On the other hand, for those who refer the eyes, the laces can be run direct y through, and the shoe laced up clear to the top.

It will be noted that the hook is in contact with the body portion or flange of the eye. When the lace'is passed into the hook, it springs, but tends to hold the lace in position, Furthermore, being in close contact with the body portion, it does not have the appearance of a hook with the point thereof spaced apart from the body portion, so that when one desires to. make use of the fasten- 7 of, said loop being bent back upon itself to bring the opening in the loop into juxtapocylinder having an integral loop at one end sition with respect to the opening in the eythereof, said loop being curved outwardly Iindrical body portion, whereby a shoe lacand being bent back upon the end of the cyl- 10 ing can be passed through the opening in inder, the loop being dished to provide a 5 {he cylinder and throughthe-opening in the conivex surface contiguous to said cylinder 00p. en

2. A fastening device comprising ahollow EDWIN SETH THOMAS. 

